{3,000 Views Special Pt.2} I wasn't necessarily expecting anyone to predict that I'd review this one but I guess I understand why

Hi! So, the second album review of my series is actually one that Bubby predicted yesterday, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan. So, obviously I like Chappell Roan, as she and Olivia Rodrigo have a lot of direct connection. Her music may not be as great as Olivia's, and a lot of it is a bit too sexual and kinda unhinged for my personal tastes, but for a rising star in the music industry she shows a lot of potential. Her massive new song Good Luck Babe is one of my favorite songs currently on pop radio. I don't really have much to say here as I only really became familiar with Chappell in the past two years, so let's get into the album review!

1. Femininomenon

My rating: 4/5 Good

Okay. This is a decent song, but definitely not one of her best. I love the way the production here evolves as it goes on, which Chappell does really well in a lot of her music. And that "play a song with a beat!!!!!" line in the pre-chorus is kinda funny. It's just not great, simply because the talk-rapping chorus and bridge are a little bit repetitive and somewhat grating, and I could have gone without the screaming. But it's still a good song overall, just definitely not one of the best songs on here. Again, trying to keep my reviews shorter, so let's move on.

2. Red Wine Supernova

My rating: 5/5 Great

Now this is a great song. It's got really cool-sounding production, and once again it's got a nice evolution to it, with the verses being more synth-poppy and the chorus falling into a more acoustic sound. The lyrics are fantastic. It's a love song, which I feel like Chappell Roan really shines on. I still sorta don't understand the point of "scream" singing at the end, but it only lasts for a few seconds and doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the song so I'm not complaining.

3. After Midnight

My rating: 3/5 Decent

Alright, this is another one that's just okay. It's got a few well-written elements to the lyrics I guess. The chorus contains the repeated line "everything good happens after midnight", a play on the phrase "nothing good happens after midnight", and it's a song about having fun at a club. Other than the titular phrase, there's really not much interesting to the lyrics, but it's alright. The production reminds me of another song but I'm not sure what it is. It's slightly overproduced but mostly sounds pretty good. Okay, it's an alright song but not much to it.

4. Coffee

My rating: 5/5 Great

So, this is another great one. It's a ballad, but it evolves a bit as it goes on. It actually reminds me of the first song I heard by Chappell, Kaleidoscope, which I heard when it made Hitbound a little over a year ago. But lyrically, it's very different. The lyrics are perfectly written, and have some great storytelling, which this album doesn't really have all that much of. It's about how she believes her partner doesn't have genuine romantic feelings for her, and says things they don't mean when they drink a lot, so she wants to meet just for coffee, to avoid things that negatively affect their relationship. But at the end, she reveals that she still has some feelings for this partner. So, it's a very well-written song, and easily one of my favorites on the album.

5. Casual

My rating: 5/5 Great

This is one of the songs that Chappell played when she opened for Olivia Rodrigo at the concert I went to, and it's a great song. It's got some pretty deep lyrics about a partner spreading rumors that their relationship is just casual, and how friends think less of her because of it, although the relationship is clearly something more. I can't say I relate to this specific situation, but it's quite strongly written. Musically, it's the kind of production style that I think Chappell should do a bit more of, as I love the way this instrumentation sounds especially with Chappell's voice. Fantastic song, another favorite from the album.

6. Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl

My rating: 5/5 Great

So, from the title I was expecting this one to be terrible. But, honestly, this is easily a favorite of mine, if not my #1 favorite from the album. Apparently, Chappell really wanted this song to make it into the Barbie soundtrack, and had the Barbie movie been released a year later that might have actually happened, considering Chappell's recent skyrocketing success as a musician. Well, it's unfortunate that this couldn't be on the soundtrack, because it would have been great. The production has a super cool synth-pop sound to it that I quite like, and the lyrics are just fun in a perfect way. Surprisingly amazing song.

7. Hot To Go

My rating: 4/5 Good

So this has recently become one of her biggest hits. This has faded on me a bit since I first heard it, and I think her live performances of it are significantly better than the regular studio version. The production is pretty good but has some weird elements at times, and the lyrics are catchy and I particularly like the writing in the verses. Really what keeps it from being great is that the chorus on the studio version sounds a bit clunky to me for some reason. But overall it's another pretty good song.

8. My Kink is Karma

My rating: 5/5 Great

This is a really strange song, and I like it possibly more than I should. Like the title suggests, the lyrics are about how she loves seeing bad things done to her ex... like, really loves it. The lyrics are kinda funny and weird in the best ways. However, unlike the title suggests, the production isn't crazy overwhelming and loud and overproduced. It actually sounds pretty nice. This is a weird comparison, but in some ways, with both the atmospheric synth production and the lyrics about loving the concept of karma, it kinda reminds me of the similarly titled Taylor Swift song, Karma... but if that song was a million times better.

9. Picture You

My rating: 5/5 Great

Wow, this album is a lot better than I expected. The acoustic jazz-ballad type production and vocal effects on this song actually really remind me of one of my favorite songs of 2023, My Love Mine All Mine by Mitski. I love the lyrics also. I think it's kind of about unrequited love, but more like wondering if another person likes her the same way she likes her. It's written really well, and like Coffee, it's one of the few songs on the album where her songwriting seems to shine more.

10. Kaleidoscope

My rating: 5/5 Great

Alright, this one. This was the first song I ever heard by Chappell. This seems to be most people's least favorite, and I do not understand all the hate. It's an incredible song. The production is simple and minimalistic, but a song like this doesn't need to be crazy. It's very effective in its lyricism. It's a very relatable song about the complex beauty of love... yeah, I will never understand why people don't like this one as much as the other songs. It's one of my favorites.

11. Pink Pony Club

My rating: 5/5 Great

So this one is seems to be the fan favorite, and another one of Chappell's massive hit songs. I can see why, as it's yet another great song. Musically, this is possibly the best use of evolution on this whole album, starting with just a piano, then picking up with some synths, and by the end it's an epic rock banger. And the lyrics match up to that perfectly. As you'd probably know by now, it's basically just a song about dancing at the "Pink Pony Club" and living out her dreams despite others' disapproval. It's a fantastically written song and I'm glad it's a huge hit.

12. Naked in Manhattan

My rating: 4/5 Good

This one's another one that I heard on the Guts tour when she opened, and... it's also just good. It's got some funny lyrics, particularly the 3rd and 4th verses, but it would have been better in my opinion if those lyrics were used in a less sexual song. Obviously that's most of my issue. The production sounds alright but not too interesting. Nothing much to say here, just your average, decent Chappell Roan song.

13. California

My rating: 5/5 Great

Wow, we're almost to the end of the album, and this is another fantastic song. The lyrics are about a unique concept that Chappell doesn't talk about much on the album. It's a song about her experience in the music industry and feeling like she won't be successful as a musician, and missing her hometown of Missouri, which I think I appreciate even more now that she's this world-famous. The production here also sounds great and has yet more incredible evolution. Yeah, I think this is my favorite song on the album, and I think it should have been the final track, after Guilty Pleasure.

14. Guilty Pleasure

My rating: 4/5 Good

So, unfortunately California was not the final track, and instead it's this really bizarre song. So, there are a lot of things done well here. Some of the lyrics are pretty good but some of it is, once again, just too sexual for me to enjoy it a lot. I like the evolution and key changes in the production, but it is kind of odd at times, and not necessarily in the best way. So, this probably shouldn't have been the final track. It's alright though, just definitely one of the weaker tracks.

Conclusion

Overall album rating: 91% (Great Album)

So, this album was quite great overall. It might not be as great as Olivia Rodrigo's albums, but most of that just comes down to my personal preference and less enjoyment for the more "sexual" songs. And it still scored in the "great" range, so it didn't affect my enjoyment that much.

Favorite songs: Coffee, Casual, Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl, My Kink is Karma, Picture You, Kaleidoscope, Pink Pony Club, California

"Least" favorite songs: After Midnight

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!